Thread by @littleann4ever

Ahead of #DrHenry & @adriandix's Fall "respiratory viruses" pressor, pls note @GovCanHealth CITF-funded nation-wide studies conclude:

1) "Omicron is mild" is dangerous myth; 10s of 1000s of Cdns hosp in serious cond & 1000s died, as many as in 2 preceding waves. #bcpoli 1/🧵

https://twitter.com/richardzussman/status/1574944806140510212

2) Omicron wave caused unprecedented rise in Cdn infection-acquired seroprevalence

3) Re: @stats_canada <45 experienced high excess mortality.

4) In data derived largely from blood donors, highest levels of seropositivity due to infection were in young adults (17-24) 2/

5) Although kids aren't incl in most Cdn serosurveys, residual sera surveys from Man, Que & BC reported high infection rates. #bced

6) Young people at-risk b/c:
- Participation in group settings/school/university
- Front-line service jobs
- Close living situations #bcpoli 3/

7) Mutations make Omicron dif than previous variants b/c they enable it to evade immunity

8) Widespread Omicron infection conferred "Hybrid Immunity" offers some short-term protection but not sufficient immunity against reinfection & not certain against new variants. #bcpoli 4/

9) Infection isn't viable strategy to achieve/maintain immunity for following reasons:
- Continuing risk of severe disease & death
- Threat of #LongCovid
- Spread of infection to others
- Unlike vaccination, infection is not guaranteed to induce immunity. #BringBackMasks 5/

10) Those residing in disadvantaged neighbourhoods h/b disproportionately affected, revealing fault lines in many aspects of society.

11) Pandemic isn't over & #COVID19 continues to pose very real risks, despite widespread pandemic fatigue/relaxation of mandated PH measures. 6/

12) There are new waves on the horizon & Covid-19 continues to circulate worldwide at alarming rate & mutate in unpredictable ways, demanding continued vigilance & precautions.

13) PH authorities must continue to engage the public on dangers. The danger is not over! #bcpoli 7/

@COVIDimmunityTF Info Sources:
covid19immunitytaskforce.ca/wp-content/upl…
covid19immunitytaskforce.ca/wp-content/upl…
#CovidIsNotOver #bcmedia #bcpoli 8/